India vs Bangladesh – A Bangladeshi Perspective

The game was dominated by the Tigers, not LTTE, for 19.3 overs and the men in blue were lucky to win the match in the last three calamitous deliveries. The bias was apparent and although Bangladesh bowed out of the tournament, they did so by winning the hearts of the millions watching. Hence the paradox – bowing out with heads held high.

Mashrafe Mortaza’s captaincy :

Honestly Bangladesh came out as a team with a proper plan. They read the pitch like how they’d read the quran. Calm, yet aggressive, Mortaza marshalled his troops very well. Field placements were spot on, especially to Dhoni in the slog overs. Shakib suggesting a straightish mid-off with a deep extra cover, shows how well this Bangladesh team has matured. There are a few leaders on the pitch when the Tigers are playing, which is an encouraging sight for the future of Bangladesh cricket.

Soumya Sarkar’s Catch :

After having already pulled off a sensational catch against Pakistan, Soumya Sarkar took a blinder in the deep which dismissed Padeya. It might well be the catch of the tournament and future tournaments to come.

Bangladeshi Bowling :

Mashrafe, Mustafizur and Shakib were the pick of the bowlers. Shakib was practically unplayable. Mashrafe varied his pace well on a slow track. Mustafizur was charging in like a hawk and delivered those crucial Yorkers at the death. I hope ICC/BCCI don’t ban him next.

Bangladeshi Batting:

With such a start studded batting line-up, a mediocre 146 should have been chased down with ease. The pressure was on the Indians from the first ball and the miss-field from Buhmra substantiates my claim.

Tamim took the attack to the opposition, and that evidently dented the confidence of the men in blue, who were well, pretty lame till the 19.4th ball. Mashrafe deciding to promote himself up, was so inspiring that some people in the streets of Dhaka started fainting due to adrenaline overdose.

Shakib, Mahmudullah, Soumya and Mushfiqur all played their part. Bangladesh Cricket has always been known for the swagger with which they win games (since they got Test status). Trying to uphold the legacy, Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah failed to uphold the target of 147.

Curious case of last ball not being called a wide:

People simply ignored the fact that the last ball could have been called a wide. Although a short ball outside off stump with a short third man, was a suicidal move from Padeya, it was too wide for the batsman to make any contact.

Weird decision not to put in a dive :

Mustafizur decides against putting in a dive while running to the danger end (which could have prevented him from getting run out). Only god and by god I mean Ashraful, can answer this weird behavior.

It was a game that Bangladesh deserved to win. Indians had a lucky escape. A lot of positives can be taken away from this spirited Bangladeshi performance.

They are the tigers and they belong to the cat family. They were supposed to roar, but they meowed at the end.